General Orders, 21 September 1777
General Orders
Head Quarters [ ] Septemr 21st 1777.
Parole: Georgia.Countersigns: Grafton. Goshen.
The Honorable Congress have been pleased to appoint The Count Pulaski, to chief command of the American light dragoons, with the rank of Brigadier General.
Some diligent officers of each brigade are to be sent immediately to all the houses within four or five miles of the camp, to find and bring all stragglers to their respective corps—the Brigadiers will see this done.
The Major Generals and Brigadiers will see that their commissaries make competent provision for supplying the troops—One person in the issuing Commissary General’s department is without fail to call daily at Head Quarters to report the state of provisions, and receive orders.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
Lt. James McMichael writes in his diary entry for this date: “At 3 P.M. we marched to the Ridge Road, where we halted ’till 9, crossed the Perkiomen and Skippack [creeks], passed the Trappe and encamped near Pottsgrove [Pottstown]” ( 152). Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, who lived near Trappe, says in his journal entry for this date that “at twelve o’clock at night the vanguard of the American army passed by with its field pieces. Some of the troops pounded on our door as if they wished to break it. Our house guests jumped up and asked what they wanted. Answer: Fire. A German captain happened to be among them and drove them away” ( , 3:78–79). General Howe says that on this date his army “moved by Valley Forge and encamped upon the banks of Schuylkill extending from Fat Land Ford to French Creek. The enemy upon this movement quitted their position and marched towards Potsgrove in the evening of this day” (Howe to Germain, 10 Oct. 1777, in , 14:202–9; see also , 35; , 456; , 149; , 51; , 115–16; and , 90). GW’s headquarters was near Fatland Ford earlier this day (see Tench Tilghman to Alexander McDougall, 21 Sept., in GW to McDougall, 22 Sept., n.2, and Tilghman to Israel Putnam, 21 Sept., in GW to Putnam, 23 Sept., source note).